Duane D. Miller Endowment
The UTHSC College of Pharmacy Drug Discovery Center (UTCoP DDC) established the “The Duane D. Miller Lectureship” and its related graduate student award, “The Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery” in 2023. This lectureship and student award honor Dr. Duane Miller, Professor Emeritus at UTCoP, for his exceptional and long-lasting impacts on the establishment of the Medicinal Chemistry programs in UTCoP in 1992 after more than 20 years successful career at the Ohio State University, and his accomplishments in inventing several small molecule investigational new drugs (e.g., Enobosarm, Sabizabulin) that have moved to advanced clinical trials.
- The annual Duane D. Miller Lectureship Award recognizes a small molecule drug discovery expert, with Dr. Miller being the inaugural awardee.
- The Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery recognizes a graduate student for outstanding achievement in small molecule drug discovery and development research. The first named award for students in the UTCoP graduate program carries a monetary award, generously provided by Dr. Miller himself for the inaugural year 2023
Past Winners
| Year | Duane D. Miller Lectureship Award | Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery |
| 2023 | Duane Miller, PhD |
Dr. Madison Sluter
|
| 2024 | Dr. Christopher McCurdy, PhD |
Kelli Adeleye
|
About Duane D. Miller
Dr. Duane Miller joined the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College
of Pharmacy (UTCoP) in 1992 to establish the medicinal chemistry program. Before this,
he had a successful academic career of over 20 years at the Ohio State University
College of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, the medicinal chemistry program at UTCoP
grew from being almost non-existent to a nationally recognized program. The program
has developed several small molecule investigational new drugs like Enobosarm and
Sabizabulin, which have advanced to multiple clinical trials.
Alongside his research, Dr. Miller has been an excellent mentor, collaborator, and friend to many, playing a significant role in shaping the careers of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, and junior faculty. Dr. Miller served as the Department Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at CoP from 2000 to 2015 and retired as a Professor Emeritus in 2015.
Dr. Miller, a true scientist with a strong passion for small molecule drug discovery, returned to UTCoP part-time to continue drug discovery research. His efforts have resulted in invention disclosures, new patents, newly licensed technologies, and new NIH grants.
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